The UK Government has been urged to fully involve the devolved governments in David Cameron’s bid to negotiate terms of EU membership.

Alarm has increased about the potential impact on Wales of the negotiations with a Lords committee warning the UK Government’s approach is a “recipe for confusion”.

The EU committee has called on the Government not to keep parliament “in the dark” and pressed for a “rethink” about how it will manage the negotiations ahead of the in-out referendum due to take place by the end of 2017.

It warns against presenting the devolved governments with a “fait accompli”.

'Vital' devolved institutions engaged

The cross-party group is concerned there is no realistic chance of securing treaty change ahead of the referendum and wants clarity about how any deal will be “legally binding”. It also warns of uncertainty about the roles of the prime minister, the chancellor and the foreign secretary.

The Welsh Government wants the UK Government to “clarify their position” and warns that uncertainty or an exit would be “hugely damaging” to Wales.

The peers state: “Given the profound implications for the nations of the UK of a referendum on membership of the EU, it is vital that the Government engage fully with the devolved institutions during the negotiations. The Government must ensure that the devolved administration are not presented with a fait accompli at the end of the process, but rather are closely involved in negotiations so as to ensure that the specific interests of the nations of the UK are taken into account.”

David Cameron has been warned against presenting devolved institutions with 'a fait accompli at the end of the process'

Plaid Cymru MEP Jill Evans said: “As Wales gains from European Union membership, London’s failures to prepare for re-negotiation and a referendum and the failure to involve Wales in these discussions are not something that we should be taking lightly. It is very concerning that London still has no procedures in place to deal with the re-negotiation of powers with Europe.

“Plaid Cymru are particularly concerned that the UK Government will try and take back powers over farming payments (the Common Agricultural Policy) and regional funding, both of which benefit Wales to the tune of billions of pounds from now until 2020. With hundreds of thousands of Welsh jobs reliant on trade with other European Union countries, we are deeply worried about the effect of a renegotiation and a withdrawal from the EU could have on Wales.”

'Unanswered questions'

A Welsh Government spokesman said: “There are still a number of unanswered questions about how the UK Government intends to manage negotiations on the UK’s membership and, of course, the referendum itself. Further uncertainty or a potential exit would be hugely damaging to Wales and the Welsh economy.

“We are in regular contact with the UK Government and expect them to clarify their position.”

EU committee chairman Lord Boswell said: “What we have discovered is that the Whitehall process is so unclear as to be a recipe for confusion – we don’t know who is in charge within Government, who they will be talking to at EU level, or what the timetable for agreement is. We’re also concerned about the lack of transparency.

“It’s vital that Parliament and the public are kept informed, and are not simply presented with a done deal at the end of the process. As part of that, we want the Government to spell out how, given that there is no realistic prospect of treaty change before the referendum, it will guarantee that any negotiation deal is legally binding.

“We want the Government to reconsider its approach, and put transparency and accountability at the heart of the process. Only then will UK citizens be in a position to make an informed decision in the referendum.”

'As soon as possible'

The peers want the referendum to take place “as soon as possible,” warning it would be “highly undesirable” to hold it in the second half of 2017 during the UK Presidency of the Council. They also want the Government to name its “key negotiating partners” in EU institutions and member states.

A UK Government spokesman said: “The Government will not give a blow by blow account of the negotiations. We will of course continue to engage with the parliament and the devolved administrations throughout the passage of the legislation and on the outcome of the negotiations.”

Minister for Europe David Lidington said: “It’s been 40 years since the British people last had a say on our EU membership – the organisation has changed vastly since and it’s time to put that right. The British public has made it clear that they are not happy with the status quo. And the Government is determined to address those concerns.

“The prime minister has set out the four areas where change is needed – sovereignty, fairness, competitiveness and immigration and we are confident we can deliver this. The Lords report commends the prime minister’s efforts to engage Heads of Government of the other 27 member states.

“The Government is committed to delivering a new and different membership, one that is better for Britain and better for Europe. We will respond to the committee’s report in due course.”